The Listening CloudLights Up to Social Media Buzz in Real Time

Social media is ubiquitous, but The Listening Cloud is the first step in creating a tangible rendition of social media buzz. Situated at the lobby of ad agency RPA, The Listening Cloud monitors social media buzz surrounding its clients - as opposed to plain data on a screen - and responds by changing colors depending on what platform the client is being talked about on.

The Cloud's custom software extracts real-time data from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram's public APIs, and "sends a command through a wireless bridge to LEDs inside the cloud." The Listening Cloud lights in red for every Facebook 'Like,' blue for every Twitter mention and purple for every Instagram mention. The Cloud, however, is not strictly limited to ad agency clients, and can be programmed to respond and "listen to" other real-time feeds. By inputting Justin Bieber, for example, the cloud aptly looks like an ominous storm hovering over the horizon.